Phoenix Thunder
by write12345
Summary: It's been ten years since the Pacific portal closed and it is impossible for there to be more Kaija attacks, but there are. It should be impossible for April and Jack to be stream compatible, but they are. Here's the story about how important those two impossibles are. oc fiction
1. Match

_Disclaimer:_ I do not own Pacific Rim

When the last Kaiju fell and the portal was sealed, the world rejoiced. Not one man, not one country or one town or one company; everyone laughed, everyone cried and everyone celebrated. It took two years for the celebrating to stop, the world to resume spinning and move on and resume hating each other. Five years after the last kaiju, countries were began to build Jeagers for sports and events, no weapons just for show. Seven years after the portal was sealed shut, rumors of possible armed Jeagers spread like wildfire and it was a terrifying time of a possible Jeager war. Then, ten years after peace was restored to the world from kaiju attacks and everyone began to feel safe once more, the world wasn't safe anymore.

A two category 3 kaijus rose up out of Atlantic Ocean, code name Fury and Vengeance and leveled New York City before jets shot them down a week later. _The Atlantic Ocean,_ was the phrase everyone muttered for days, trapped in horrible feelings of anticipation and fear. Three weeks later four Category 3 kaiju's swam to the shore of Indian from a portal in the Indian Ocean and leveled almost all of the country of India. Then Tokyo a few weeks later by one category 4 _A billion people died in one month_.

The world had knocked back on it's back, paralyzed for a moment and then it decided to was time to _fight back._ Countries came together again, and joined forces. China, United States, England, Japan, and Russia pulled back the their darkest curtains, and revealed that between the five of them seven Mach 5 Jeagers were up and ready for action. Some people were angry about the secrets until the Jeagers rose again, enhanced by ten years of secret funding.

Many people volunteered to be pilots, some people were tested, and a few people passed on to be partnered for the drift.

April Whitaker was one of those few people to pass the tests, but finding a worthy partner was proving to be a problem.

Seven people had gone up against April, and seven people had failed miserably to get one point on her but, there was hope when the tree-trunk sized man, who had grunted that he was Mark, had stepped up to the mat for his turn. The onlookers whispered to each other in a kind of hopeful joy; most of them hoped he would be the end of these fights and they could move on with their lives. No one seemed to like or root for April Whitaker, who was she to think that she would ever find a partner when she hardly spoke to anyone with out a kind of snide tone?

Mark, though, they all thought, Mark was big, muscular and would defeat that snob. But, Mark couldn't help but feel unnerved when he bowed to the woman across the mat. She was a slender woman of mixed English and Asian descendant, nothing particularly scary but her eyes were cold and her face expressionless. Had Mark known that April was a prodigy of mathematics, mastered two martial arts styled and fairly skilled violin all at the young age of 25, maybe he would have identified his fear better.

Regardless, Mark did what Mark always did he charged at the girl, and was defeated 4-0 in the shortest time of all eight matches even though at one point April had been distracting by a man wandering through the door to the dojo, clearly late.

"Next," April called, but for only one person seemed willing to accept the challenge. While some might be concerned that, perhaps, they would never find a partner and, would be pulled off the program, April was not. She had scored highest on every test given to her and got 51 drops/ 51 kills on her simulator. San Francisco Shatterdome would not be pulling her off the program so quickly.

Still April couldn't help but wish to give up when a man stepped forward with a kid of eagerness in his eye that reminded April of her little brother during Christmas. His black curly hair gave his face a boyish charm and his mouth was curved into a grin like he had done something naughty and gotten away with it. It was the man who had come in late, April thought, annoyance flaring as she rememberd that this was the man that was late for almost every training that he didn't completely skip, and because of that, April already found reason to dislike him and look at him with disapproving eyes.

"My name is Jack Ramsey," The man said an Australian accent with a smile, "you killed my father, prepare to die!"

While most of room burst out laughing, April froze, confused.

"What are you talking about?" April asked, annoyed she was missing a joke or threat.

Jack smile turned into a kind of fake shocked expression, "Oh dear, I'm going to have to defeated quickly so you can go watch 'The Princess Bride'."

April tilted her head, "You think it's going to be that easy?" She asked, mentally calculating how likely that would be that he would win.

"Let's find out." Jack challenged, bowing to her.

April mirrored the action and the two slowly circled for a moment before April realized, unlike the others, this Jack Ramsey had studied her and knew she liked her opponent to make the first move and, she would take them down accordingly. After another moment, April realized she would have to make the first move or nothing would happen at all.

In a flash, April darted forward and swung her staff to her opponent's midsection, but he blocked her. Then swinging out his own staff up, Jack aimed for her head; April ducked and kicked Jack's knees out from under him. He fell, she rose and pointed her staff at his face.

"One." She said. This man, Jack Ramsey was an ass, April thought, he thought he could beat me just cause he watched me for a bit and thought he was the better fighter. He clearly has never been trained properly, came in late to this event, and still thinks he's better, I'll wipe that smug smile off.

Jack jumped back up, and grinned at the woman who thought she had already won.

"She was pretty," was what Jack had first thought when he arrived late to the partnering (he been having a wonderful conversation with a lovely programmer and hardly wished to tear himself away) and saw April bow to her opponent; her black silk hair spilling over her shoulder like a waterfall while her almond shape eyes looked intently at her foe. This thought was followed closely by a "And she was confident" as he watched the woman take down a man twice her size and acted ice cold when she announced she had utterly defeated him. When no one else seemed willing to volunteer for her next match, he was all to eager to get up close and see if he could annoy her enough to knock her down a peg. Not so much for the competition, which he always hated, but for the sheer pleasure of entertaining himself for a while.

"Not done yet," He said holding his staff ready.

"Not ye-." April started to say back.

Jack swung out his staff and caught April under her ankle and tripped her backward, he pointed his staff at the tip of her nose, "You were saying something?"

April jumped back up and they began to spar. Quick movement and blinding swipes at each other it wasn't long before the others were unsure who had upper hand. While the pair fought, something miraculous happened, the fighting couple began to predict each other as though there was something between them that connected their minds.

_We're drift compatible_, the pair thought together in horror, neither of them wanting the other. April, because didn't want some untrained ass who didn't understand what _mandatory_ and _punctual. _Jack, because he didn't want a partner at all, and especially not one who was glaring at him with disapproving eyes and didn't smile.

So they fought harder, trying to end the match quickly, but continually blocking each other and missing or escaping before one could pin that other. Finally, a voice ran through the dojo as loud as a gunshot.

"Enough!"

The pair froze. April instantly stood straight, and turned to the door, standing like a solider at attention; Jack leaned on his staff and looked that door.

Marshall Henry Gavener practically stomped down the stairs. He wasn't a particularly nice looking man, even when he was happy; his body was small and round and remind many people of bull dog, as did the great jowels that curved by his chin. Gavener, head of San Francisco Shatterdome was a fierce man, mean when he was unhappy and snappy when displeased but at that moment he was neither.

"Well, Miss Whitaker, I see you finally found someone who suited you." Gavener said, beaming at April.

"Actually, sir-" April began but Gavener ignored her and moved to Jack.

"And Jack of all people! I would have never thought it!" Gavener slapped a hand down on Jack's shoulder so hard it hurt, "I see you finally have taken some interest in your father's work, only took 20 years!" Gavener laughed at his own joke and Jack tried to not feel nauseous at the idea of his father.

"Sir," April began again, speaking polite but cool voice, which masked the quiet panic she felt, "I don't think that Mr. Ramsey and I are suited for each other."

"Why not?" Gavener snapped, spinning around and glaring into April's dark eyes like he would lunge at her.

She continued, unfazed by him, "There is no way I would be able to work with him properly."

"I agree," Jack said, although insulted April believed it as well, "She and I would not be suited well. April, here," He gestured to her, "Is top of the class, up-tight, Type-A, and I, on the other hand," Jack gestured to himself, completely oblivious to a silent annoyance and rage dwelling in April, "Am not looking for a partner."

"Nonsense," Marshall Gavener snorted, "You two are suited well, and you both are exceptional," His eyes darted to Jack, before he added, "In your own way."

"But-" Jack said.

"Sir, be rea-" April started.

"Enough both of you!" Gavener snapped, and they fell silent. They had skillfully enraged him now, and he could feel his blood pressure rising, he looked them both in the eye, "If either of you want to get in a Jeager, you are going to do the drift test tomorrow at 9 o'clock sharp. Do you understand?"

April nodded, but Jack shook his head and said, "What if I don't want to get in a Jeager?"

Gavener's face turned a bright red and he opened his mouth to yell, but Jack had already turned around and the crowd of onlookers part like a sea around him.

As April watched Jack walk away she couldn't help but think aloud, "If you don't want to be in a Jeager, than why are you here?"


	2. Suit Up

April stood like a statue; her arms behind her back, her shoulders perfectly straight and her eyes look straight ahead. She was the embodiment of cool and expressionless, and the crew that surronded her all silently agreed her rumored nickname of "Ice Queen" was well suited, while Gavener seemed to be about to burst in a fiery explosion

The Marshall paced up and down the boardwalk that was directly in front of the Jeager _Phoenix Thunder, _the second American Mach 5 Jeager built, and fourth in-line to be deployed. It was a beautiful machine with dark ruby eyes and bright blue center. Phoenix was powered with electricity, with a back up nuclear core generator that glowed at her heart to allow the Jeager to fight even when the kaiju adapted against her machinery. She was not the strongest Jeager, but would be the fastest of them all.

That is, if her second pilot would ever arrive.

After twenty minutes of waiting, April spoke what all the other crew members had been afraid to say, "Sir, I don't believe that Mr. Ramsey is coming."

Gavener ignored April. He hadn't care what the others had said about Jack, when he saw that name on the list of recruits, he could hardly help himself. Others had told him Jack was a problem, that he didn't believe in Jeagers the way others did, he was disobedient and rude, but _that name _was all Gavener could think about. There was potential in that name, so much more than even Miss Whitaker, who Gavener had been ordered to outfit with a Jeager as soon as she was ready.

Quite suddenly, the doors to the boardwalk slide open and two guards came in dragging Jack Ramsey by his shoulders while Jack's loud voice filled the room,

"Look, I know we've had are differenc-oh crap, I should have known." Jack said looking up at Gavener and April.

"You were expecting someone different?" Gavener asked, smiling triumphantly.

"Let's just say me and the boys aren't the best of friends." Jack said and then looked up at his companions, "You can just drop me off here," and with that Jack was practically thrown at April by the two guards, who were smiling like hungry sharks.

"Dismissed," Gavener bellowed, and the guards marched away in step and then turned to April and Jack, "Well then, time to get you two outfitted for Phoenix Thunder."

"Yes, sir." April said.

"Pass." Jack said.

They both turned to each other and glared at each other. April, because Jack was ruining her chance of getting into a Jeager, and Jack because he always hated a goodie-two shoes.

Gavener, instead of exploding all over the pair like many had thought like he would, merely laughed and turned his back to them. Four guards materialized around April and Jack, holding different kinds of equipment. The pair was guided to the changing room, and separated by a small wall.

Putting the equipment wasn't a challenge, one just had to strip down for the most part and then the only thing Jack had to do was stand perfectly still while his body was swallowed by machines.

"So why are you here?" April's voice, asked over the wall.

"Pardon?" Jack called back.

"You clearly don't want to get in a Jeager but you are here." She pressed, her voice not betraying emotion.

"Maybe I just like the health care." Jack retorted, wondering if he could make her laugh, "Why are you here."

"Because I want to be." April responded.

"And why do you want to be here?" Jack pressed, and unlike April, his curiosity showed through like sunlight through glass.

"Because this is where Jeager pilots are chosen." April said her voice somehow even colder.

"Why do you want to be a Jeager pilot?" Jack pressed, eager to finally get an answer.

But in response, all Jack got was the sound of the door opening and slamming shut next to him.

He had unnerved her, Jack thought in the silence, he had gotten to the "Ice Queen". The other pilots would be so proud someone had finally made a little crack in her perfect posture. Besides, he thought darkly, he was about to get every answer to every question he could think of straight out of Miss Ice Queen's head.


	3. Bridge

"Initiating neural bridge." The voice of _Phoenix Thunder_ said in a dead tone, indifferent to the emotions and fears of its crew. The pilot's suits began to snap shut and lock them inside their connection to the Jeager. April's stomach hitched, she knew what was coming, in a sense. She knew that her mind was going to connected to the less than enthusiastic pilot next to her, she knew that for a moment her entire life would hit her like tidal wave and threaten to swallow her whole.

Her heartbeat rammed but nearly stopped when April's consciousness was suddenly high-jacked.

First came her own memories: the first violin lesson with Tutor Marks, math problems on a chalkboard with larger kids in the room glaring at her, funerals, a lonely ninth birthday with the cook, her tutors and the butler and much lonelier days after that. Then memories of Phoenix Thunder, of putting on the suit, and then suddenly foreign memories: they came in flashes but her mind threaten to erupt from the new information.

More and more foreign thoughts pushed into me until there was sudden clarity and I was watching my friend, _my best friend_, signing away his life and a terrible feeling of desperation. Suddenly, I was a teenager surrounded with cheering friends on skateboards and bikes as I spray painted an impressive mustache on a statue to Jeagers and then cop lights. Zooming ahead, or back, I watched my dad as he worked, hunched over a desk with a pencil in his hand, then, with gut wrenching feeling that threaten pull me in, I saw Dad kissing a woman, who was not my mom. I sat and watched Dad getting awards in front of huge crowds with a Jeager behind him as I drifted off to sleep in my chair, Memories of playing with a doll at five when a kaiju attacked, watching a monster destroy homes that I knew as well as my own house. Holding my dad's strong hand as we ran down the streets of Sydney.

Suddenly April was back in her own body, but the force of coming back nearly knocked her off her feet. She had a strange feeling of _being; _she was in two bodies at once, occupying her own body but aware Jack's.

"Initiating neural handshake." A nerdy tech's voice filled _Phoenix Thunder._

"Nerdy?"April muttered allowed, positive she had never said the word before especially about someone who was monitoring her heartbeat and had control over her oxygen supply.

Jack laughed. It had been his thought, flowing straight into April's mind.

April raised her body into a fight stance and a strange weight as if Jack's body was shadowed over her's; not controlling it but having influence as she did over him.

"Primary scans," The voice muttered. Switches and machinery, blinked to life inside the _Thunder. _The Jeager hummed to life, it had a brain and, now, a heart .

April reached out and flipped three; releasing _Thunder_ from her restraints.

"Lovely day for a walk." April said to Jack, as the huge, reinforced doors opened wide and let sunlight onto the loading bay.

"I would say ladies first but-" Jack grinned and continued, "I'm not sure if that would work in this situation."

Whatever animosity they had had between was faded now, put on pause when the doors to their minds were kicked wide open.

"Then together?" April asked, a strange prick of amusement coming from Jack. He enjoyed banter.

"Together."

Walking outside into the bright day on San Francisco, April felt excited; this what she wanted. She was strong inside the Jeager, she was invincible and she could control her fate here.

"Alright," A voice, Gavener, said, "Let's see what this baby can do."


	4. Lunch

As much as he hated, _truly hated to admit it_, Jack never felt so exhilarated as he did walking away from the Phoenix Thunder. He felt apart of something so much larger, so much above himself, and this, mixed with adrenaline, was addicting and he could barely focus on eating. Meanwhile, when he looked over at April, who sat across from him, eating her lunch, Jack was stunned. April wasn't grinning like mad, she wasn't practically shaking; she was eating calmly, reading the paper and, seemed unaware of Jack's inability to sit still, as if the experience had done nothing for her. As if merging minds with Jack, and controlling the monstrous sized Jeager was nothing out of the ordinary for Miss April Whitaker.

Jack couldn't help but, watch as April continued to eat her lunch of pasta with vegetarian sauce with her blank face; April seemed to be made of marble, a living statue to the untrained eye. Not that Jack considered himself to be expert on April, he had been in her mind from a hour but now, out of the drift and back in reality, April's memories seemed almost ghostly. Yes, Jack could recall them if he really thought about it but, the memories were dull and lacked realness, as if they were old movies that Jack had seen long ago and could only remember certain scenes. But his memory of the Jeager test was heightened by her e

Still, Jack knew April had been thrilled by the Jeager but, it irradiated him that she hide it.

"Are you going to stop staring at me?" April asked, annoyed, not looking up from her paper.

"Aren't you freaking the hell out right now?" Jack asked her, incredulously.

"No," April responded, "Should I be?" looking up at Jack and wiping the corner of her small mouth with a white napkin.

"_Yes_," Jack said with a nod, "You were inside something gigantic, something awesome, something-"

"Something that your father built?" April finished, raising an eyebrow.

Jack scowled, "Don't talk about him."

April didn't say anything, and simply returned to her meal but Jack was more agitated than he had been before. He wasn't use to people retreating from this topic, usually people pressed for more details, for a story, for a reason. He hated the conversation, almost as much as he hated the topic but April backing off reminded him, didn't put him at ease. She wasn't giving up, no one ever did, simply waiting out the battle.

It took him a moment to realize that there was silence, which he knew didn't bother April at all, but annoyed him so went back to his original topic.

"Why aren't you showing how totally buzzing and hyped up you are right now?" Jack pressed.

April sighed, take the small breath to figure out what Jack meant by 'buzzing', then, looking back up at him, and with an almost tired tone asked, "How do you know I'm buzzing with excitement?"

Jack laughed, "I've been in your head."

April paused and then said, in an almost wounded tone, "I don't buzz."

Jack laughed so loud at this, the table nearest them turned around and looked upon the pair with confused expressions. Alone, April would have ended their nosy expressions with a glare but Jack, amiable and outgoing as he was, would never allow such a thing to onlookers.

Turning in his seat to face his audience, Jack smiled at the pair of twin red haired woman and pair of men group sitting at the table and asked, "After your very first time in a Jeager would you describe yourself as buzzing with excitement?"

The table nodded and Jack whipped back around and to smile triumphantly at April only to turn back around and see his partner walking away.

"So, is that the Ice Queen then?" A gruff voice asked. Jack turned back around to see the source of the voice was the one of the men at the table next to him. A barrel chested, older looking man with a thick brown beard and even thicker Scottish accent. "Have to say, I was hoping she would be uglier."

"Why is that?" The younger man, who Jack recognized as Mark, the man April beat to a pulp, asked while simultaneously shoving heaping spoonfuls of lunch into his mouth.

"'Cause when an ugly girl is angry and gives ya' the cold shoulder its because the world was cruel to her because of her appearance," The older man explained, "But sometimes, when the girl becomes for comfortable with herself, she becomes all warm again. When someone like that," He pointed his spoon at April's disappearing silhouette, "Is proud and rude, there isn't much to be done. Some creatures are just born cold and die cruel."

_Born cold and die cruel, _the words tickled Jack's mind. They did not describe April; yes, she was very pretty and stand-offish but she was not born that way. Jack had seen into her memories he had seen her as a child, smiling in the mirror and asking her mother to listen to her play violin. No one was born a certain way, we become who we are by what happens to us.

And Jack knew what had happened to April so he couldn't help but snap, "April is not like that."

"Ay? Been in drift with her then?" The older man asked, pushing aside his meal and leaning down on his fore arm to look Jack in the eye. Clearly, Jack thought, this is suppose to intimate me although the spinach in his teeth is really making it hard to be scared.

"Yes, she is my partner and she is not like that." Jack responded, keeping his tone even to show just how little he cared about the much larger man in front of him.

"Well, I guess time will tell." The Scottish man said with a tone that plainly said how right he thought he was.

"I guess so." Jack responded and then stood up with tray, realizing just how right April had been to walk away.

Yet, as Jack left the cafeteria, he suddenly found himself disagreeing when an incredibly lovely woman caught him by the elbow and turned him around to face her. She was one of the twins that had been sitting at the table and this close Jack enjoyed the pretty color of her red hair and hypnotizing color of her bright blue eyes.

"Sorry about my uncle." She apologized, seeming incredibly embarrassed and blushing, "He didn't mean to insult yer' partner, he just doesn't really know when to shut up." Then, dropping her voice to a whisper, said, "I think he just likes to listen to his own voice."

"He should go into politics." Jack mused and the girl laughed, a lovely light laugh that seemed like it should be made of bubbles and butterflies.

"I'm Bonnie Blair." The girl said, sticking out her hand and grabbing Jack's to shake it, "Jeager Eden Hurricane."

"Jack Ramsey, Jeager Phoenix Thunder." Jack said smiling his most charming smile. Bonnie blushed deeper, Jack grinned wider.


	5. Explore

April did her best to read the book clutched in her hand but April's nerves were rattled. Her mind raced, her body seemed to nearly trembled from the sheer amount of adrenaline she tried to hard to hold down. It would be improper to show how much energy was contained within her body, to let it all out with a scream or a run. So she tried to read a book. Books were perfectly suited for a proper lady, screaming was not.

Except, books did little to calm her nerves.

Letting out an exasperated sigh and finally slammed her book closed and put it down on the table. Dropping her head back, April stared up at the plain ceiling that matched her plain room. She had brought nothing to decorate her room, and this spartan appearance suited her fine. Extravagance bothered April, it made her feel contained, choked her. April craved the detachment of bareness, and the freedom of simplicity.

April glanced at her fingers; watching them shake ever so slightly that it was hard to detect. They were thin, delicate looking fingers used to make music on a violin; it was near impossible to imagine that they had controlled a machine like the Phoenix Thunder. Well, not near impossible, April thought, no one thought she would ever get so far, or why she would want to. Sure, they knew she was brilliant, but why would a lovely young lady like April Whitaker with a fortune like that of Whitaker Empires ever want to join something as dangerous as the Jeager program?

When the horrible answer came to her, reminding her of tragedy that haunted her nightmares, April clenched her delicate fingers into fists, and stood up. A walk would do perfectly to settle her nerves and not be inappropriate. Walking out of her room and slamming her door shut, she straight her shoulders and gave herself the appearance of walking with purpose even though she had no purpose.

Exploring, wasn't the word April would have liked to use but it was exactly what she was doing; wandering from her room to every nook and corner of the Thunderdome. It was easy to become lost in the endless hallways, and although April had memorized the map of the Thunderdome on her first day, within half and hour, she was lost in a part of the Thunderdome she had never been to.

She was about to turn around, retrace her steps and go back to the comfort of her room; when she heard voices. Usually polite and detached enough not to ever eavesdrop on anyone, April found herself frozen on the spot because she had heard the word, _ungodly experiments.  
_

"That makes twenty failures this year with these ungodly experiments, why do we continue this program? It is playing God!" A woman's ice with a thick South African accent.

"Because we are fighting Gods!" An man's voice exclaimed, this one having an American accent, "The Jeager's nearly failed us once, we cannot risk that again!"

"The Kaiju attacks only returned after-" A woman's voice with an Australian accent began but she was quickly cut off by Gavener.

"Excuse my interruption but I know that, we all know that, but we cannot change the past only press into the future." He said in a kind of tone one might hear in a speech that had been rehearsed a million times as he spoke over the other voices. "We are close to success, we are too close to fail. I just need more time."

The conversation dropped into a lower volume and as April leaned in closer to hear her hand slipped on the wall causing it to crashing down onto a metal pipe with a loud bang. Not even stopping to see if she had been heard, April ran.


End file.
